Disposable bedpan liner



W. G. WHITNEY 3,377,631

DISPOSABLE BEDPAN LINER AprilV 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 'l Filed Oct. 22l1965 INVENTOR. ///4/W G Maf/77145K April 16, 1968 w. G. wHlTNEY3,377,631

DISPOSABLE BEDPAN LINER Filed OGt. 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR.

Mz A4/v 6T Mam/v y ffm/afg @60 af/WATTORNEYS United States Patent Office3,377,531 Patented Apr. 16, 1965 3,377,631 DISPOSABLE BEDPAN LINERWilliam G. Whitney, Evanston, Ill., assigner to W. G. WhitneyCorporation, Evanston, lll., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 22,1965, Ser. No. 500,654 '8 Claims. (Cl. 4--112) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSUREThe present invention relates to nursing service aids and moreparticularly relates to a disposable bedpan liner for use in the nursingof a bedridden patient.

While many and varied counterparts have been devised, the conventionalsteel bedpan which finds such widespread use today comprises generally alow liat bowl having generously rounded corners and a wide, flat seat.Suchl pans are of necessity quite shallow so that they can readily beslid between the patient and the bed to provide adequateV stability inuse but they must accord ingly be rather wide so as to insure that thevolumetric capacity will be as high as is required.

The conventional steel pans are generally formed from a single sheet ofmetal with a completely free and open, unobstructed cavity thereindefined by a base, side wall, and seatingange. While such pans arecurrently in widespread use, they have not proven entirely satisfactory.

For instance, such pans are cold to the patient, particularly whenvstainless steel as opposed to some hard plastic is used. In addition,the conventional pans are not readily emptied since fecal matter mayadhere to the walls of the pan and, further, such pans prove difficultto clean inasmuch as a good part of the inner Wall of the cavityunderlies the seating flange.

Attention is invited to the fact that others skilled in this art haverecognized that some sort of a disposable bedpan might otter asatisfactory solution to the problem.

Many such disposable bedpans have been developed but none has met withany marked success. Disposable pans have forexample been disclosed whichamount to little fore than wax-coated paper bags having virtually nosupport otherl than their own inherent stiffness. Others have beendevised which are adapted to lit within a complementary cavity in a bedmattress and While such disposable pans can be comparatively deep and inmany senses admirably suited for their intended function, they pose moreproblems than they cure inasmuch as they require special mattresses andbedding and means for closing the cavity when not in use. They are, inshort, very expensive and have not found much acceptance. Partial linershave been `designed for use with conven tional pans but `such liners donot avoid many of the objectionable features of the conventional pans.Lastly, disposable inserts have been developed for use with con-Ventional bedpans but such inserts have limited the capacity of the pansand have still not avoided many of the objectionable features ofconventional pans.

The disposable bedpan liner which I have devised obviates all of theabove noted disadvantageous characteristics of prior disposable typepans as well as those of the conventional steel pans by providing afresh, new`approach to the problem. The conventional wide steel pai withthe low profile is employed as a support in the con ventional manner andthe disposable bedpan liner is pro vided to iit on and within the steelpan which liner, fo want of a better expression, is referred to as adisposabh bedpan liner. The novel disposable liner disclosed hereiicomprises basically two interconnected parts; namely (l) a at insulatingcollar having substantially the sam: peripheral dimension andconfiguration as the seating flange of a conventional steel pan and (2)a bag-likt recptacle or lining member connected to the collar an(positionable within the cavity formed in the steel par in a manner suchthat the bag can balloon sufficiently to actually line the inner wallsof the cavity, thereby noA decrease the volumetric capacity thereof.

The receptacle is preferably formed of a pliant, thin strong, imperviousplastic film such as polyethylene or the like and may have a flap formedintegrally therewitl'. as a by-product of the process of manufacturewhich can be used as an aid in directing waste into the receptacle.

I have also devised an efiicient and orderly method of manufacturing thedisposable bedpan liner which requires very few steps and this methodwill hereafter be more fully described.

It is therefore a principal object of the present inven Vtion to providean improved disposable bedpan liner ol the type which will fit on andwithin conventional rigid pans.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for insulating thepatient from the usually cold surface or the supporting pan.

Yet another object of the invention resides in the provision of adisposable bedpan liner which will f1t on and within a conventional lowprofile pan and yet which will not diminish the volumetric capacity ofsuch pans.

A still further and important object of the invention relates to theprovision of a disposable bedpan liner which can be completely removedfrom a supporting pan and disposed of in one piece, thereby eliminatingthe dificult task of cleaning out the inside of the supporting pan.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a disposable bedpanliner that can be stored flat and readily handled and which requires aminimum amount of space in storage and yet which can be used effectivelywith a supporting pan.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a. novelmethod for manufacturing a disposable bedpan liner of the type abovedescribed.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from time to time as the followingspecification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of a disposable bedpan liner constructedin accordance: with the principles of the present invention -mounted onand within a conventional steel supporting pan;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view through the assembly shown inFIGURE 1 and taken along lines Il-II Of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the disposable bedpan liner in a first stageof manufacture; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the disposable bedpan liner in another andfinal stage of assembly.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a con ventional steelbedpan 10 having a side wall 11 which is higher at the front 12 of the.pan than at the rear 13. The side wall 11 leads through curvilinearedges 12 and 13 to the at base 14 and seating ange 15 of the pan. Theseatin-g flange 15 slopes gently downwardly from the curvilinear edge 13toward the center of the pan and is deigned to provide a comfortableseating surface for the iatient. The inner margin 16 of the flange 15 isturned )ver on itself as at 17 so as to insure a generally rounded :dgewhich will not cut the patient. The opposed end :dges of the seatingange terminate at the front end )f the pan in spaced relation to oneanother to provide a nouth through which the contents of the pan can bezmptied. Conventional pans such as these are generally iesigned so thatthe minimum height of the seating flange tbove the base 14 at the rearof the pan is something on Lhe order of 21/2 inches so that the ratherlarge required :apacity of the pan is achieved through the width rather.han the depth of the pan. In fact, it is important to under- ;tand thatmore than 1/2 of the total liquid capacity of :he interior or cavity ofthe pan underlies the seating flange 15. Some rather unsatisfactoryattempts have been made to provide a bag of sorts which had an outerdimension not greater than the dimension between the opposed marginaledge 16 of the seating ange 15 but such a bag of course has such alimited capacity as to be virtually useless for most applications today.Present day nursing techniques require the administration of as large as2000 cc. enemas and only those low profile pans which utilize the spaceunderlying the seating ange as well as the space directly underlying theopening can handle such volume.

FIGURES 1 through 4 disclose one embodiment of a disposable bedpan linerconstructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. Ingeneral, it will be noted that this disposable bedpan liner includes acollar 19 which is preferably formed of flexible card or heavy paperstock and which is peripherally confgurated and dimensioned to conformto the seating surface 15 of the supporting pan 10. The inner margin 20of the collar 19 lies in juxtaposition to the inner margin 16 of thesupporting pan 10 and terminates in a pair of rounded inturned fingers21. A fiexible bag 22 is preferably formed of a thin, strong, imperviousplastic film and has its upper edge 23 adhered to the undersurface 24 ofthe collar 19 adjacent the edge 20 thereof. It is important tounderstand that the film is dimensioned so that it can be ballooned outin the manner shown in FIGURE 2 so as to conform to the inner surfacesof the walls of the supporting pan and thereby not decrease thevolumetric capacity of that pan. A flap 25 is lformed integrally withthe film 22 and extends out of the mouth of the supporting pan 10 andcan be used as a shield to assure that all waste will be directed intothe pan and additionally serves as a convenient means for facilitatingremoval of the disposable bedpan in a manner hereafter to be described.

As has already been noted, the bag or lining member may be made from avariety of materials but the use of a thin plastic film is rfelt to bemost preferable from the standpoint of its impermeability, cost,pliability, and because it is so readily flattened and stacked easily.However, because of the non-fiushable characteristics of most yplasticstoday, this type of bag will of course require discarding in a wastereceptacle rather than through ordinary plumbing facilities. It should,therefore, be understood that it is also possible to fabricate the bagfrom a wet strength material such as one of the papers used in toiletseat liners which would permit disposal of the entire disposable bedpanliner in the plumbing system. Such a material would not, of course,prevent liquid from penetrating through the bag and the pan would,therefore, require rinsing after use. The collar may, as earlierindicated, be made from any number of materials but it is preferablymade from a stiffer material than the bag itself such as board stock orheavy moisture resilient paper.

Attention is invited to FIGURES 3 and 4 which disclose the method bywhich the disposable bedpan liner of the present invention is mostadvantageously manufactured. The stiff card stock collar 19 is laid downwith what is to become its under-surface facing upwardly and with thefingers 21 facing toward the right. The first real 4 assembly step inthe process is to bond the lm 22 to the collar 19.

It will be observed that the film 22 is bilobate in design having firstand second curved sections 26 and 27 which are separated by a restrictedneck 28. Each of the sections 26, 27 is of somewhat greater externaldimension than the collar 19 so that, as shown in FIGURE 3, the lobe 26when laid upon the `collar 19 completely overlaps the collar. The filmis positioned with the lobe 26 overlying the collar and with therestricted neck 28 positioned adjacent the fingers 21.

If the film 22 is of a heat sealable plastic material, the joining ofthe lobe 26 to the collar 19 and the yformation of the tongue 25 can beperformed in a single operation. A heat seal bar having a configurationsubstantially identical to that of the inner margin 20 of the collar 19but of slightly greater over-all dimension is impressed on the film 22along the contact line 29, terminating, however, at points overlying theoutmost ends of the fingers 21. Such action will then bond the lobe 26to the collar 19 along the bonding line 29. That portion of the film 22contained within the perimeter of the bonding line 29 can then be pulledaway from the collar to form the tongue 25.

The next step in the operation is to bond the peripheral edge of thelobe 26 to the peripheral edge of the lobe 27. This is done by sim-plyfolding the lobe 27 over the lobe 26 from the restricted neck 28 andthen heat sealing the congruent periphcries of the two lobes together.In FIGURE 4 I have shown the lobe 27 folded over on top of the lobe 26and bonded thereto along the line 30. For the sake of illustration, thetongue 25 formed in the first step has been pulled out `from under thenow folded over lobe 27 and is shown extending out toward the right inFIGURE 4.

To use the disposable -bedpan liner it is laid over the top of thesupporting steel pan with the shield lying out wardly over the mouth ofthe supporting pan. It is then possible to reach inside the clean bagand push it down into the pan while the collar seats itself around theseating flange of the supporting pan. When in use, if necessary ordesirable, the shield may be held up to deiiect any urine down into thepan. After use, the rear portion of the collar may be folded forward andthe shield laid back over the opening defined by the collar so as toform a cover for the disposable bedpan liner while being transported tothe disposal area. The pan is emptied by laying the shield over thefront edge of the pan and pouring out the contents of the bag in thenormal manner. If it is desired to save a specimen, the bag may belifted from the pan by the collar and shield and readily slid out of themouth of the supporting pan.

It will be understood that these embodiments of my invention have beenused for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications andvariations in the invention will be effected without departing from thespirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A disposable bedpan liner for use in combination with a supportingpan having a base, a side wall, and a seating ange extending inwardlyfrom the said side wall in spaced relation to the said base, whereinsaid base, side wall, and seating flange are formed integrally with oneanother and define a cavity within said supporting pan, comprlsmg:

a horseshoe-shaped collar positionable on said ange with its innermargin substantially coincident with the inner margin of said ange andbeing so configuratcd and dimensioned as to completely overlie saidseating flange; and

a flexible bag-like lining member connected to said collar and beingpositionable within said cavity and being of a size sufficient tocompletely line the walls of said cavity.

2, A disposable bedpan liner for use in combination with a supportingpan having a, base, a side wall, and a seating flange extending inwardlyfrom the said side wall in spaced relation to the said base, whereinsaid base, side wall, and seating flange are formed integrally with oneanother and define a cavity within said supporting pan and wherein theinner margin of said flange defines the opening to said cavity,comprising:

a horseshoe-shaped collar positionable on said flange with its innermargin substantially coincident with the inner margin of said flange andbeing formed of card stock; and

a flexible bag-like lining member formed of thin, impervious, pliantstock connected to said collar and being positionable within said cavityand being of a size sufiicient to completely line the walls of saidcavity.

3. A disposable bedpan liner for use in combination with a supportingpan having a base, a side wall, and a seating flange extending inwardlyfro-m the said side wall in spaced relation to the said base, whereinsaid base, side Wall, and seating flange are formed integrally with oneanother and define a cavity within said supporting pan and wherein theinner margin of said flange defines the opening through said cavity,comprising:

a collar positionable on said flange with its inner margin substantiallycoincident with the inner margin of said flange;

a flexible impervious bag-like lining member connected to said collarand being positionable within said cavity and being of a size sufficientto completely line the walls of said cavity;

wherein material of the outer surface of the said lining member isconnected to the undersurface of said collar.

4. A disposable bedpan liner for use in combination with a supportingpan having a base, a side wall, and a seating flange extending inwardlyfrom the said side wall in spaced relation to the said base, whereinsaid base, side Wall, and seating flange are formed integrally with oneanother and define a cavity within said supporting pan and wherein theinner margin of said flange defines the opening through said cavity,comprising:

a collar positionable on said flange with its inner margin substantiallycoincident with the inner margin of said flange;

a flexible impervious bag-like lining member connected to said collarand being positionable within said cavity and being of a size sufficientto completely line the walls of said cavity;

wherein material of the outer surface of the said lining member isconnected to the undersurface of said collar; and

wherein said bag is formed of at least two pieces having material oftheir inner surfaces joined together along a line coincident with thenatural fold line formed by the bag when the bag is flattened againstthe collar.

5. A disposable bedpan liner for use in combination with a low, widesupporting pan formed of a single piece of rigid stock and having abase, a side wall extending upwardly from the base, and a seating flangeextending inwardly from the said side wall in spaced relation to thesaid base, wherein said base, side wall, and seating flange are formedintegrally with one another and dene a cavity within said supporting pancomprising:

a horseshoe-shaped collar formed of stiff and flexible thenmallyinsulating stock adapted to lie on said seating flange and being soconfigured and dimensioned as to conform to said seating flange;

a bag connected to the undersurface of said collar adjacent the innermargin thereof and being formed of a pliant, thin-walled, impervious,plastic film and being of a size sufficient to line the inner surfacesof said base, side wall, and seating flange.

6. A disposable bedpan liner for use in combination with a low, widesupporting pan formed of a single piece of rigid stock and having abase, a side wall extending upwardly from the base, and a seating flangeextending inwardly from the said side wall in spaced relation to thesaid base and being yoke-like in configuration and defining an openingto the interior of the pan with a mouth a1 one end thereof, comprising:

a collar formed of stiff, flexible, thermally insulating card stockadapted to lie on said seating flange and being so configurated anddimensioned as to conform to said seating flange;

a bag connected to the undersurface of said collar adjacent the innermargin thereof and being formed of a thin-walled, pliant, imperviousplastic film and being of a size sufllcient to line the inner surfacesof said base, side wall, and seating flange; and

a shield formed integrally with said bag and of the same material assaid bag and extending therefrom through the mouth of said supportingpan.

7. A disposable bedpan liner for use in combination with a low, widesupporting pan formed of a single piece of rigid stock and having abase, a side wall extending upwardly from the base, and a seating flangeextending inwardly from the said side wall in spaced relation to thesaid base, wherein said base, side wall, and seating flange are formedintegrally with one another and define a cavity within said supportingpan, comprising:

a collar formed of stiff and flexible thermally insulating stock adaptedto lie on said seating flange and being so configurated and dimensionedas to conform to said seating flange;

a bag connected to the undersurface of said collar adjacent the innermargin thereof and being formed of a pliant, thin-walled, impervious,plastic film and being of a size sufficient to line the inner surfacesof said base, side wall, and seating flange, wherein material of theouter surface of said bag is c-onnected to the undersurface of saidcollar to connect said collar and bag together.

8. A disposable bedpan liver for use in combination with a low, widesupporting pan formed of a single piece of rigid stock and having abase, a side wall extending upwardly from the base, and a seating flangeextending inwardly from the said side wall in spaced relation to thesaid base, wherein said base, side wall, and seating flange are formedintegrally with one another and define a cavity within said supportingpans, comprising:

a collar formed of stiff and flexible thermally insulating stock adaptedto lie on said seating flange and being so configured and dimensioned asto conform to said seating flange;

a bag connected to the undersurface of said collar adja cent the innermargin thereof and being formed of a pliant, thin-walled, impervious,lplastic film and being of a size sufficient to line the inner surfacesof said base, side wall, and seating flange,

wherein material of the outer surface of said bag is connected to theundersurface of said collar to connect said collar and bag together andwherein said bag is formed of at least two film parts having material oftheir inner surfaces joined together along a line coincident with thenatural fold line formed by the bag when the bag is flattened againstsaid collar.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,388,155 8/1921 Abraham 4-1122,169,834 8/1939 Englert 4-112 2,320,845 6/1943 Bolton 4-112 2,855,60810/1958 Painter 4-112 3,061,840 11/1962 Pressisen 4-112 3,066,31512/1962 Huber 4-112 3,263,241 8/1966 Saulson 4--112 FOREIGN PATENTS908,451 10/ 1962 Canada.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner.

